September 02, 2010

our summer pantry

{Rounds of roasted eggplant layered with heirloom tomato, fresh marinara and parmesan. Popped back into a 450 oven for 10 minutes. Pile on the fresh basil and pour the wine!}

This summer, more than any other, as we gathered around our table each day, there were words spoken about "The Farm." I've talked about our CSA arrangement here, it's been such a perfect fit for our family. Next year I will add to the budget a bit so I can put more food by for the winter, this season's harvest has mainly served as our summer pantry. And oh my, with the heat we've had this summer, the abundance of fresh produce has been so appreciated.

We love Farmers Markets too, but there is such temptation (for us) to buy all of those extra goodies such as soap, wood fired pizza, homemade ice cream... the market is a wonderful outing with many fun indulgences, but heading straight to the farm every Saturday morning helps me get right down to business. And business has been so good this year.

{Sunday morning breakfast. All but the orange juice was from either the farm, or our herb garden. Eggs are from another local farm. This feast caused us to pause with deep gratitude.}

Since the beginning of June, I have posted exactly FOUR times in the Taste category of this blog. An unusually low number for me. It is where I generally share recipes and such. Things have just really shifted here foodwise. For months now we have not created or followed a recipe. If food is served cooked at all, it's with a quick flash of heat. Often a high heat, fast roast sort of thing. For instance, a tray of roughly sliced patty pan squash gets roasted at about 450 for just 8 minutes. Done! Dinner is mostly prepared!

{Patty pan ready for a quick roasting.}

Ingredient lists have gone missing this season. In their place we've enjoyed single fruits and vegetables with just a touch of sea salt, cracked pepper, and maybe a drizzle of olive oil or honey from the farm. To say things have been simple around here is an understatement. Simply beautiful. It's going to be a long winter as we dream of doing this all over again next year.

{All done!}

I read in one of Scott Nearing's books (can't remember which one) that for dinner he'd often sit down with a bowl of popcorn, a pepper and an apple from the garden, plus a paring knife. He never understood what all the fuss was about at dinnertime. "Keep it simple." he said. There are few historical figures that have inspired my own ideals more than Scott (and his wife Helen) Nearing. I thought of them a lot this summer as we ate from the local earth, easily 80% of the time.

{The finest thing I have tasted all summer is heirloom tomatoes roasted on top of a crustless quiche. I think I've made this 4 times. I can't begin to explain the depth of flavor that is revealed by roasting heirloom tomatoes .}

At the end of September I am teaching a cooking class with a friend. I have no idea what will be on the menu, likely some winter squash varities will be ready then, so there should be some of that. Oh! Apples too... and kale. In another time and place, I would have been planning recipes and testing them so thoroughly for an evening like this, but not these days. These days are so simple. It is not about me redefining these perfect, whole food ingredients, it is about me getting out of the way and letting them tell their story. Nature needs no help from me, that is for sure. My cooking this summer, and my plans for the upcoming cooking class, both certainly reflect that.

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our summer pantry

{Rounds of roasted eggplant layered with heirloom tomato, fresh marinara and parmesan. Popped back into a 450 oven for 10 minutes. Pile on the fresh basil and pour the wine!}

This summer, more than any other, as we gathered around our table each day, there were words spoken about "The Farm." I've talked about our CSA arrangement here, it's been such a perfect fit for our family. Next year I will add to the budget a bit so I can put more food by for the winter, this season's harvest has mainly served as our summer pantry. And oh my, with the heat we've had this summer, the abundance of fresh produce has been so appreciated.

We love Farmers Markets too, but there is such temptation (for us) to buy all of those extra goodies such as soap, wood fired pizza, homemade ice cream... the market is a wonderful outing with many fun indulgences, but heading straight to the farm every Saturday morning helps me get right down to business. And business has been so good this year.

{Sunday morning breakfast. All but the orange juice was from either the farm, or our herb garden. Eggs are from another local farm. This feast caused us to pause with deep gratitude.}

Since the beginning of June, I have posted exactly FOUR times in the Taste category of this blog. An unusually low number for me. It is where I generally share recipes and such. Things have just really shifted here foodwise. For months now we have not created or followed a recipe. If food is served cooked at all, it's with a quick flash of heat. Often a high heat, fast roast sort of thing. For instance, a tray of roughly sliced patty pan squash gets roasted at about 450 for just 8 minutes. Done! Dinner is mostly prepared!

{Patty pan ready for a quick roasting.}

Ingredient lists have gone missing this season. In their place we've enjoyed single fruits and vegetables with just a touch of sea salt, cracked pepper, and maybe a drizzle of olive oil or honey from the farm. To say things have been simple around here is an understatement. Simply beautiful. It's going to be a long winter as we dream of doing this all over again next year.

{All done!}

I read in one of Scott Nearing's books (can't remember which one) that for dinner he'd often sit down with a bowl of popcorn, a pepper and an apple from the garden, plus a paring knife. He never understood what all the fuss was about at dinnertime. "Keep it simple." he said. There are few historical figures that have inspired my own ideals more than Scott (and his wife Helen) Nearing. I thought of them a lot this summer as we ate from the local earth, easily 80% of the time.

{The finest thing I have tasted all summer is heirloom tomatoes roasted on top of a crustless quiche. I think I've made this 4 times. I can't begin to explain the depth of flavor that is revealed by roasting heirloom tomatoes .}

At the end of September I am teaching a cooking class with a friend. I have no idea what will be on the menu, likely some winter squash varities will be ready then, so there should be some of that. Oh! Apples too... and kale. In another time and place, I would have been planning recipes and testing them so thoroughly for an evening like this, but not these days. These days are so simple. It is not about me redefining these perfect, whole food ingredients, it is about me getting out of the way and letting them tell their story. Nature needs no help from me, that is for sure. My cooking this summer, and my plans for the upcoming cooking class, both certainly reflect that.